The President of Croatia, Stipe Mesic, has told the UN war crimes tribunal that former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic wanted to destroy Yugoslavia and create a Greater Serbia.

And he described the ex-leader as an emotionless warmonger, driven by his goals.

What he was interested in was a Greater Serbia that would be created on the ruins of the former Yugoslavia

Stipe Mesic

Mr Milosevic is charged with genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity during the wars in Bosnia and Croatia between 1991 and 1995.

Last month, prosecutors at the tribunal in The Hague finished presenting evidence on a separate indictment for the 1999 Kosovo conflict.

Mr Mesic is the first of a series of high-profile witnesses to give evidence in this new, crucial phase of the trial.

He is also the first head of state to give evidence before the tribunal.

Refugees fled to Croatia trying to escape ethnic cleansing during the war
	Milosevic charges Bosnia genocide and complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and violations of the laws or customs of war Croatia grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, violations of the laws or customs of war and crimes against humanity Kosovo violations of the laws or customs of war and crimes against humanity Full list of charges

"What he was interested in was a Greater Serbia that would be created on the ruins of the former Yugoslavia," Mr Mesic said in the first minutes of his testimony.

"Milosevic said he was fighting for Yugoslavia, but he was doing everything to destroy it."

The goal was an "ethnically pure" Greater Serbia, he said, "cleansed" of its non-Serbian population.

Mr Mesic, who avoided eye contact with Mr Milosevic, accused him of intentionally setting off ethnic violence in Croatia with a view to spreading the conflict to Bosnia.

"The Serbs in Croatia were needed to ignite the fuse, in order for the war to be transferred to Bosnia and Hercegovina," he said.

The prosecution also asked Mr Mesic to describe Mr Milosevic's character.

"I never saw him show any emotions - all he had was the goal he was implementing," Mr Mesic said.

"He could have desisted from the option of war, but he never took any action to stop it."

This witness is problematic in every way because of his criminal role in destroying Yugoslavia

Slobodan Milosevic

The two men are old adversaries: Mr Mesic was a member of the collective presidency of the former Yugoslav federation as it tottered on the brink of collapse in the early 1990s.

Mr Milosevic sat listening attentively to Mr Mesic's evidence, occasionally smiling. Correspondents said that Mr Mesic appeared unintimidated by coming face-to-face with his former rival.

Mr Mesic had always said he would be happy to give evidence against Slobodan Milosevic.

Mr Milosevic has dismissed the charges against him as politically motivated and a falsification of history.

Milosevic gave a wry smile at parts of Mesic's evidence

And he attacked Mr Mesic's credibility as a witness.

"This witness is problematic in every way because of his criminal role in destroying Yugoslavia," Mr Milosevic said before Mr Mesic entered the court.

Paradoxically, Mr Mesic has come to The Hague as the first head of state to testify here at a time when the Croatian Government is at loggerheads with the UN tribunal.

It is refusing to hand over a senior Croatian general who has been indicted for war crimes against Serb civilians and wounded soldiers.